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Chop ‘n Pour

Experience is a good teacher they say and designer Junjie Piao learnt a good lesson with it. A stint in chopping celery sticks left him frustrated, especially when it was time to scoop and transfer them to a bowl. He decided to “design something to make this process easier without disturbing slicing.” Thus was born Pour-Smart, an L-shaped plastic piece and a bar of strong magnet. The contraption allows you to chop and easily transfer food from the cutting board to a bowl. Simple and very useful is my verdict!

Designer: Junjie Piao

Tiffin Proportions

Dabba means lunchbox in Hindi and is inspired by the Dabbawallas of Mumbai. This ingenious design aims at making you choose healthy food options and pack a balanced meal for work. Each box displays a food icon and is sized to keep portions in check. I love the combination of bamboo and silicon used, and if things go well soon the Dabba will be available at a store near you.

Designer: Rob Englert of Ram Industrial Design

Celebrating Ten Years of Electrolux Design Lab

Electrolux Design Lab is in its tenth year and we are pretty excited about the 2012 competition. As Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Global Design at Electrolux puts it, “Ten years ago we set out to map the future. In what direction is our industry evolving? How will we cook, clean and wash our clothes in the years to come? What will the appliance of the future look like? To date we have reviewed over 10,000 design concepts but each year I’m seeing new concepts and ideas I never thought possible.”

Deadline: 1st June 2012, 23:59 CET

Getting the Most Out of Compost

Designer Adam Weaver describes Re:Fuse as an “anaerobic digestion unit” that reclaims gas from decomposing biological debris that would otherwise be lost. The gas collected can then be used for cooking. The user simply places food-waste in the unit and over time Re:Fuse will not only yield gas for cooking but usable fertilizer for growing more food!

Designer: Adam Weaver

Plants Love Your Leftovers

To many, the idea of starting a compost pile seems like a daunting task. Few of us have large enough outdoor areas or the time and patience to manage. The Nepenthes planter provides a smaller, cleaner way of recycling organics and growing your own food. Simply place your leftovers down the hatch and let the bacteria do the rest. Nutrients will be released back into the soil where they can be used by plants. No need to worry about the smell, a built in carbon filter ensures the planter stays smelling fresh.

Designer: Khitrova Anna

Guessing Game #9

Welcome 2012 with this brand new episode of the Guessing Game. For the record, this is game number 9. Rules stay the same…look at this picture and make an educated guess as to what this could be. Each correct guess wins our love, admiration and respect! Leave your answer in the comments below!

All the best!

Designers: Jungjoon Hwang & Jaeryong Lee

For Efficient Straining

I fancy this particularly thoughtful strainer that attaches to any pan or dish at its rim and drains off the liquid without letting any solids slip away. Crafted from silica gel, the Food Filter comes in different sizes and drains, fitting almost any size pans and for multiple purposes.

Designers: Yu Zhigang, Chen Chao, Lv Changfu, Yuan Chenxin & Wu Jia

Benefits of CO2

Fresh CO2 uses the carbon dioxide in the air to prolong the life of refrigerated food from 7 days upto a month! It basically controls the oxidization process and wilting of vegetables in a very controlled manner. Methinks it’s a pseudo plant mimicking the photosynthesis process and respiration functions. What do you think?

Designers: Feng Cheng-Tsung, Wang Bo-Jin & Lin Yao-Chieh

Brick Lego Homes!

I love this concept of turning food relief packets to something useful, especially if used in disaster struck areas. The idea is to bundle food (rice) and water into this brick-like module, which can later be used to build temporary shelters. Thanks to their Lego inspired shape, the UNICEF Brick structures promise to be sturdy as temporary shanties.

Designer: Psychic Factory

Disposable Bowls Look Too Good

Food delivery containers are usually made of paper, plastic or foam. They’re quick to make, cheap to produce and provide very little incentive to reuse. The Eco Bowls are designed to quick assemble down into separate components to be easier for disposal. They also happen to look good enough to keep and reuse so my question is, why wouldn’t you?

Designer : Jongduck Park

The Microbial Home

The Microbial Home is viewed as a cyclical biological machine where wastes like sewage, effluent, garbage, wastewater are filtered, processed and recycled to be used as inputs for the various home functions. The project includes various aspects like a Bio Digester Island and Larder in the kitchen, Urban Beehive, Bio-light, Apothecary, Filtering Squatting Toilet and Paternoster Plastic Waste Up-cycler.

Designer: Philips Design

The Future Fridge

The goal of the In My Fridge project is to simplify the process of food management by focusing on the technical & communicative aspects of the refrigerator. Using new RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology, the fridge is equipped with readers that collect data about quality, quantity, expiration date, & even recipes & presents it on a unique touch-screen interactive display. The user experience is quite uncommon & even has a 3D feature that allows the user to see the contents of the fridge without opening the door!

Designers: Various

Ergonomic Chopp-ing

I hate the process of chopping ingredients while cooking so I rely heavily on those German contraptions that you see on teleshopping networks. However there are times when I envy the kitchens of Masterchief and all those glossy tools and equipments that the participants get to use. The Chopp – chopping board looks fit enough to be in one of the shows. It’s a board with interchangeable functionality and features a hollow base to hold all the chopped food.

Designer: Alastair Crompton